CLINTON 
A long overdue monument to the town's World War I veterans was dedicated this morning, a fitting day since Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day and was created to mark the 1918 end of the Great War.

More than 100 family members of the deceased veterans who are memorialized on the monument, along with military veterans, VIPs, Scouts, and residents of Clinton, Sterling, and Lancaster came to the ceremony in Hamilton Square Park, named for Perley R. Hamilton, an Army ambulance driver who was one of Clinton's first World War I casualties.

His name, along with nearly 700 others, including 19 who died in the war, is engraved on the 6-foot by 9-foot structure. One of his descendants, Carol Ann Hamilton, a retired Clinton High School guidance counselor, raised the American flag as the ceremony began.

It has not been a smooth ride for the James R. Kirby American Legion Post 50 members who came up with the idea to erect a World War 1 memorial.

A battle of sorts – much like the one that took place nearly 100 years ago, just after the Great War, about where to situate a monument – has been raging for nearly two years.

An initial plan by the Legion to put it in front of Town Hall was shot down by selectmen, who felt it was too large for the spot, and would require removing a tree. A second site on the Walnut side of Town Hall, near similar memorials to veterans of World War II and the Korean and Vietnam Wars was approved and later tuned down, also because of space concerns and the removal of a different tree.

Next came a roller coaster ride of site possibilities in Central Park, and the school athletic field, before the Parks and Recreation Commission stepped up and allowed the use of Hamilton Square Park, which is more commonly known as Depot Square.

Kirby Post Commander Lisa A. McPhee described the final site as fitting, since World War I soldiers left town on trains from that park.

“It took a long time getting here, but it's here,” she said this morning. “This is where they started from and this is where they will end up - together.”

James R. Kirby, for whom the Clinton Legion chapter is named, was the town's first World War I casualty. A doctor with a medical practice on Chestnut Street, he signed up at age 42, and died in 1918 of influenza, an enemy that proved as deadly as military foes.

One of the more popular speakers was Legion Finance and Service Officer John T. Mahan, who joked that he was told by state Rep. Harold P. Naughton Jr., to “go easy because there's a free lunch at the Elks afterwards.”

Mr. Mahan reminisced about marching by the park many times during Legion parades.

“It's so sad to look at that monument and see so many names, including my father, who was gassed in France and died at age 57,” he said

It was also a bittersweet morning for U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, attending one of his last official events representing the town. While he has been Clinton's congressman for years, and often takes part in town activities, the recent redistricting means he will no longer represent the town. U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas, D-Lowell, will take over.

“This is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen in my live,” Mr. McGovern said as he surveyed the large crowd in the morning sunlight. “This community never forgets. I may be redistricted, but my heart will always be here in Clinton.”

Lt. Gov. Tim Murray was also on hand, quoting Harry Truman and requesting a moment of silence for the recently deceased former U.S. Rep. Joseph D. Early, a Navy veteran.

“This shows that Clinton has not forgotten,” Mr. Murray said of the monument.

Mr. Naughton , D-Clinton, a major in the Army Reserves who has served in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said he was amazed to see how many friends and families of the soldiers memorialized on the monument came back to town for the day.

“These doughboys, they went overseas expecting adventure, and they thought they were going to be home by Christmas,” he said, noting the long time it took for any communication from home to reach Europe.

Mr. Naughton spoke of the returning soldiers who “came back and built this country, and quietly built their lives.”

He said: "Let us use their sacrifice to continue to remember in the future.”